


Hurting For A Very Hurtful Pain

by Biscuit Lion (cookiethelion)



Series: Valet Service [9]
Category: British Comedian RPF
Genre: Apes & Monkeys, Chinese Zodiac, Crack, Dog(s), Dragons, False Memories, Fights, Implied or Off-stage Rape/Non-con, M/M, Master/Servant, Mild Language, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, Rooster(s), Sheep & Goats
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-09-01
Updated: 2012-12-10
Packaged: 2017-11-13 07:39:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/501077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cookiethelion/pseuds/Biscuit%20Lion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Your pain, yes, your pain - what is it that it's hiding?</i><br/><i>If it can't be done, if it can't, of course you'll seek help...</i><br/><i>Right?</i><br/>~Hurting For A Very Hurtful Pain - VY1 and VY2</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'd by Samurottsan, (or her new account, LittleAppelAngel).  
> \----
> 
> 1\. [Valet Service](http://archiveofourown.org/works/326601)  
> 2\. [Do-It-Yourself](http://archiveofourown.org/works/329398/chapters/531504)  
> 3\. [Shadow Puppets](http://archiveofourown.org/works/332687/chapters/537393)  
> 4\. [Three Of A Kind](http://archiveofourown.org/works/347835/chapters/565322)  
> 5\. [Goats & Dogs (and a Dragon)](http://archiveofourown.org/works/367242/chapters/596962)  
> 6\. [One For The Enemy](http://archiveofourown.org/works/385254/chapters/630833)  
> 7\. [Leave In Summer...](http://archiveofourown.org/works/423707/chapters/708441)  
> 8\. [...Yet You're Here In My Fluffoughts](http://archiveofourown.org/works/456509/chapters/785402)  
> 9\. [World Is Mine](http://archiveofourown.org/works/493852)  
> 10\. **Hurting For A Very Hurtful Pain**  
>  \----
> 
> Title once again comes from a Vocaloid song, this time [Hurting For A Very Hurtful Pain](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csxR8BvLqF8) \- VY1 and VY2. I love this so much, it's one of the best uses of the voicebanks I have heard yet, and the video's awesome as well. I've tried looking around for an English dub, but there are no good ones :( As for Vocaloid and Utaite covers, too many to link (I swear every Vocaloid has at least one HFAVHP version), so search around for them.
> 
> Anyway, this a slightly darker installment, and the tags carry all necessary warnings. Please read them carefully. Thank you.  
> \----
> 
> DISCLAIMER:  
> I own nothing except the plot and Zodiac Valet concept. This fanfiction was written purely for fun, and not for profit. Any persons written is not intended to represent the real person.

Tom was faintly awoken by birdsong so loud it could have just as well been sung straight into his ear; he grumbled a little as he turned over with his arm in the lead. It should have smacked onto Ben’s chest, but when he ended up clawing a handful of soil, he frowned, opened his eyes, and sat up; what the hell was he doing in the forest? He glanced over his shoulder, desperate to catch a glimpse of his or Matthew’s house, hoping that he hadn’t strayed away from them –

No sooner had he twisted round did he wince as his head, arms and legs started to hurt. He dabbed one hand over the back of his head, while the other reached for his lower spine, feeling for his Item. It was in its usual position, but as he groped a bit more, he thought his jeans were hanging looser than usual … 

“Sagittarius–” He could see her now, that slender figure no taller than five feet, in a green jacket and pleated mini-skirt, kicking and dragging him across the floor, forcing his arms to bruise and bleed, until she threw him ahead. He rolled the remaining distance until he came to a stop on his back, though he didn’t have time to do anything before she was holding him at her mercy by pointing a drawn bow to his throat. She had a foot on his Item, and that was enough to paralyse him as she waited, lowered her weapon, and placed the arrow back into the quiver.

He could remember her leaning a bit too close to him, pressing her nose and lips against his neck, her fingers clawing at his shirt while he lay there, unable to move and feeling somewhat sick (that being a side-effect of his weakness to Valet Sagittarius), dreading what she was going to do now that he was entirely at her mercy–

No one had rescued him that night … not even Milton …

He didn’t know how long he had been screaming for between his realisation and when he felt a draught, followed by Milton running into sight and dropping to his knees next to him. By then, he was panicking too much to recognise his leader, not even when Milton kept calling his name, or tried to calm him. Every time Milton attempted to get close, he was forced back by Tom punching whatever part of him he could reach, and it took him a little longer to recognise his voice, but when he did, he stopped and then pounced, hugging Milton around the waist as he buried his head into his chest.

“Tom … what happened?” said Milton.

“I think … I think I’ve … I’ve been …” In between his shakiness and gasps, Tom managed to tell Milton all his suspicions, though his fingers were gripping onto his shirt so tight they were losing colour. “Milton, tell me … last night, did she … _had_ she …”

Milton paused, and then said, “I don’t think she assaulted you. If she did, I would have already helped you.”

“…That can’t … I have memories of … I’m certain she … you know…”

“Tom, don’t worry. I _will_ help you.” Milton hugged him tighter. “Calm down, you’re safe now.”

He wasn’t going to say anymore, not when Tom was still agitated. He didn’t mind waiting for him to calm down; compared to Gemini and Scorpio, it seemed that Sagittarius was using a completely different method to operate, and right now, he had to find out as much about her as he could, before she could do any more damage.

Milton could sense Tom relaxing; his grip on his shirt was loosening, his breathing quietening and finding a more regular pace, his cheeks no longer as red. All Milton did, though, was keep hugging Tom closer to him, patting and stroking him on the shoulder, waiting until Tom let go of his shirt and sat up straighter, before breaking out of his grasp altogether.

“Thanks,” he said as he got up.

“You don’t need to thank me,” said Milton, also getting up. “Are you sure you’re alright now?”

“I will be, don’t worry.”

Milton nodded, followed by a short silence. Right now, there was still one more issue to address, probably the most obvious one after sorting out Tom, but Milton thought he could sense some reluctance.

Nonetheless, they had to talk about it before Tom got back to his, and Milton, after some consideration, said, “How are you going to tell Ben about this?”

Tom started and said, “Promise me you won’t tell him.”

Milton couldn’t say that his answer surprised him, not after what he had sensed. “Why? He needs to know.”

“I don’t … want him to worry about me. I’ll be fine, I can resist Sagittarius.”

“Tom, we’re not talking about a small incident. You could have been … you know … Ben –”

“I know, but I don’t want him to…” Tom stopped and glanced down, looking around at anything but Milton.

“I know it was difficult telling _me_ what happened –”

“Milton…”

Pause. “You have to let him know before the situation gets much worse.”

“I know what I’m doing.”

Milton glared at him, trying to figure what he could do to help both Tom and Ben. The latter had a right to know, given how he _was_ Tom’s boyfriend, and especially considering what might have happened; but at the same time, regardless of what did and didn’t happen, Tom was still a victim, and it wasn’t any of Milton’s business as to how he dealt with this matter. Indeed, having been Clan leader for eleven years, Milton had never come across a situation like this before.

“OK, I promise, but you can’t keep quiet about this forever. If Valet Sagittarius ambushes or assaults another monkey, he will eventually find out.”

“I know … I’m prepared for that, don’t worry.”

“I’m also hoping I don’t have to keep an eye on you all the time. If you don’t have any other problems, I’ll –”

“I don’t,” said Tom, albeit a bit too fast. “You can go. I’ll be OK.”

“You could at least let me walk you back home.” Seeing as Tom had no objections, Milton flew up, saw where their bearings were, and then started to walk to their left. From what he could see, they had some distance to go, about ten or so minutes. “What happened _before_ you were separated from Ben and Matthew?”

“I wasn’t separated, I was going back to mine from Matthew’s when I saw someone moving … and that’s when I started feeling sick.”

“You must have known that was Valet Sagittarius.”

“Yeah, but she’s bloody powerful when she wants to be. I tried to get away, but she kicked and dragged me to where you found me.”

Milton eyed the side of his arms, where the bruises and grazes were still visible. “How are you going to explain that to Ben?”

“I’m going to tell him that, but not what happened after.”

"Tom … take your time if you need to ... tell me how it felt." Pause. Tom stared at Milton, and vice versa, and they remained that way for a moment longer.

"...It was... terrifying... and... and..."

"That can’t be all."

"No, it ..." Milton was right; there had to be more than just that, considering what she had done to him...

"Well?"

"I don't ... I can't..." Pause. "Are you trying to say it never...?"

"From the moment you told me what happened, I thought it was impossible. She must have knocked you out."

"Are you sure she couldn't have... When I was not...?"

“Even if you weren't conscious, you still would have sent me an emergency call.”

They remained silent as they completed the rest of the trip back. Milton kept glancing at their surroundings, worried that they were being followed; he normally wasn’t this sensitive or paranoid, but already he had a feeling he couldn’t underestimate Sagittarius, not after how she had already got through to Tom.

When they could see the side of Matthew’s house poking through the tree tops, they stopped, and Milton faced Tom.

“You do realise I have to tell the other leaders that Valet Sagittarius has been sighted?”

“I know. I can’t stop you from doing that.”

Pause. “Do you want me to walk you back to your door?”

“I can go alone from here.” Tom glanced down at the ground rather than keep eye contact with Milton, and he took a step back.

“OK. Tom … if you need me, you know where to find me.”

“Thanks Milton.”

Milton stayed there until he had seen Tom enter his home, and even then lingered for a while longer, but nothing seemed to happen. He turned around and was about to fly back when a nearby ruffling caught his attention; seconds later, he clicked his fingers, using the gust to stop an arrow that would have pierced his ear. Instead, it fell to the ground, but he barely had time to look at it when a figure jumped out, pointing a strung bow at his stomach.

“Valet Sagittarius,” he said, his arms raised to show her that his palms were glowing.

Sagittarius matched most of Tom’s description; her height was about the same, her elbow-length hair had a violet-black shine, and she was indeed dressed in a green jacket and the shortest mini-skirt Milton had ever seen. Underneath that, though, was a purple waistcoat and black bustier and tights, and her chestnut boots appeared to be covered in horse hair. Like all the other Western Valets, her brooch was pinned to her jacket, and her face hidden under what appeared to be a wooden half-mask.

“Hello Jones,” she said. Milton blinked; why did her voice sound familiar?

“You placed those false memories in Tom, didn’t you?”

“Ah, I see you’ve found poor little Parry.”

“You never assaulted him.”

“Of course not, but what does it matter that we know? Not everyone’s as strong minded as you are.”

“None of the Western Valets have dared to show their faces like you.”

Milton flinched as Sagittarius broke into a piercing and childish laugh. “That’s because they’re cowards, too scared to say or do any more than they should. It’s so _boring_ sitting on the side, and I _despise_ boredom.”

“If you want fun, go and find something else to do. Leave all of us alone.”

“I’ll tell you what else I like, Jones. When I see a bulls-eye –” She fired the arrow, and Milton dived to the left, breaking his fall with a roll. He jumped to his feet as he clicked his fingers, using the gust to skewer Sagittarius’ second shot; with that distraction, he had enough time to leap into the air and dodge the third arrow.

He flew over her head, missing the fourth arrow in the process, and landed behind her before putting an arm around her neck, intending to throw her, although that was as far as he got when she pointed the arrow up at his neck. If she fired now, there was no way he could survive that shot.

He halted for a few more seconds, and then let go of her; she twisted round, still pointing the arrow at his neck, and followed him as he backed away. Even though his powers were ready at his disposal, he had to achieve a certain distance to avoid any injuries, serious or not.

"You had your chance to free Parry, and you've just let it go."

"That was just an excuse to hurt me."

"Whatever, Jones, I'll see you around." She let go of the last arrow, and Milton dodged as he clicked his fingers, using the gust to slow down the impact. When it was safe to move again, Sagittarius had gone.

***

When Milton returned to the flat, he was forced to use the front door when Humphrey gestured to him from the window. He already had a good idea who was over, and when he had removed his coat and folded it over, he rang the doorbell. Humphrey answered, but Milton had hardly entered when a very tired-looking Matthew ran over to him and grabbed him on the arm.

"Milton, did you-" Milton didn’t say anything, but dragged him into his room first and shut the door.

"Sorry," said Matthew. "I shouldn’t have-"

"It's alright. I know you're worried."

"I saw Tom come back. I thought you would have been with him."

"I was. I offered to go further, but he said he would be alright."

"What happened?"

"I..." Milton paused, wondering what he should say. "I can't tell you. Tom asked me not to tell Ben, and if his boyfriend can't know..."

"Milton, I get that, but we _need_ to know. Ben has been worried sick at mine all night. We couldn’t sleep."

"I'm sorry, I can't ... all I can say is, Valet Sagittarius has been seen."

"...Oh my God, is Tom alright?"

"He's fine, just a few bruises.”

"What did he do to him?"

" _She_ knocked him out."

"...That's it?"

"Yes."

"Did she use her powers?"

"Apparently she didn’t. Tom panicked when he woke up, and that's how I found him."

"He really doesn't remember anything else?"

"Not a thing."

Milton wondered if Matthew was going to say anything else, but instead they descended into a short silence.

"Thanks Milton."

"Matthew...can you keep me updated on Tom and Ben?"

"I'll try to."

"Thanks."

Milton couldn’t keep up the eye contact, and he glanced down at the floor instead. He wished he had tried talking Tom round, rather than hide the most crucial part of what had happened – it would have made him feel easier, at least, and Matthew’s stares wouldn’t be as difficult to take. He didn’t look up again until he heard Matthew leave and shut the door behind him; even then, it took him longer to throw his coat aside, and slip outside to reach Humphrey’s room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On a slightly more off-topic note, I recently found a [Gakupo x Len x Kaito version](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUoo-bx5Pg8) of HFAVHP. That is all.
> 
> *whistles*
> 
> EDIT: It seems that the YouTube link no longer works. The song's still up on [bilibili](http://www.bilibili.tv/video/av251298/), or [NND](http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm17594928) (Nico Nico Douga) itself.

Matthew had no sooner returned to his place when he caught sight of Ben jogging to him, and he left the door open for him. Normally he wouldn't have been back this early, but given events since last night, he was in no mood to stay any longer, not with Milton in the way.

"Did Milton tell you anything?" said Ben once he shut the door.

"What did Tom say to you?" Matthew waited for Ben to tell him, but when he got to the end, Matthew shook his head. "That’s all I got from Milton as well."

"Oh..."

"Milton asked me to keep an eye on you and Tom. I know he's just as worried..."

"He won't tell us what actually happened..."

"I'll keep trying with Milton, but ... Clarkey, I think it's Tom we need to try and make him talk."

"Why Tom?"

"I know Milton’s holding back because ... Tom asked him to..." Matthew had to flinch from Ben's glare, he didn't want to see his reaction.

"Tom wouldn't ... Why wouldn't he tell me - us - everything?" Matthew said nothing, but wished he had done something when he watched Ben leave five minutes later, tired and flustered.

He wasn't the only person who slept uneasily that night; even though Tom _was_ asleep, Ben could tell it was light. There were lines on his forehead, his breathing shallow, and he was never that still; not to mention he had pulled Ben into one of the tightest hugs he had given yet, his hands clawing every part of him he could reach. It took Ben much, _much_ longer to fall asleep, but even when he did, it wasn’t without giving Tom – by now in a deeper slumber – one final worried look.

***

“Tim – TIM –”

Thom gave up trying to be heard, not when Tim was blindly slicing anything that was within range of his claws, or sweeping anything within his full wingspan; trying to get near was a problem, and Thom, after several unsuccessful attempts, lingered back, before he clapped his hands and a flame sprung from the ground. Tim jumped back, allowing Thom to clench his shoulders and pull him to the ground.

The closeness of the move backfired when Tim dug his claws into Thom’s arms and, borrowing on his dragon-like strength, threw him over his head, releasing him mid-way through; Thom was flung a good distance away, and landed on his side before he rolled onto his back to stop for good. He winced as he pushed himself up, trying not to look down at his torn and bloodied sleeves that also indicated how many wounds Tim had just inflicted on him.

“Tim – stop – it’s me –”

Like before, it had no effect, and Thom yelped as he was hoisted into the air by the scruff of his shirt, and Tim pulled him closer to him, their foreheads almost touching. Thom tried to flinch back, but he couldn’t escape the angry glares, the iron-hard grip, or breathe in anything other than Tim’s hot, fiery breaths that were also heating up the side of his face. He had never seen Tim in such a bad temper, despite having been warned before by his predecessor.

“Tim –” Thom tried to lift his arms, but winced as his wounds got the better of him again, and for a brief moment he could see blood.

“What … have you done … with … Mark …?” said Tim through gritted teeth. When Thom couldn’t answer him, he shook him, this time making sure that their foreheads smacked. “Where is he?”

“I don’t know – Tim – let me go – I’m Thom –”

Tim paused, and then threw Thom backwards, but remained where he was as he watched the latter stagger to his feet, coughing and spluttering and gasping for air.

“Tim – I’ll find him – I’ll find Mark for you –”

“I’m warning you … if you can’t find him …”

Thom glanced down at his claws, and then jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. “Sure, I’ll … erm … go this way, you go … other …” Tim just stared at him for a reply, and Thom backed away, before running out of sight completely.

He stopped briefly when he was out of sight to fully recover, and then continued ahead, though this time at walking pace; Mark could be anywhere, how was Tim expecting him to be found that quickly? Then again, he would rather spend days finding Mark if it meant that he could soothe Tim’s temper – anything to avoid the risk of being shredded to pieces again.

Thom kept moving straight ahead, even though he doubted he would run into Mark; it was at moments like these that he wished he had his Item on hand, at least he would be able to change into his dog form again. Like every other master-bound Valet, Thom lacked the freedom to use that particular power, not unless his master granted it to him, and there was no time to go back for it now, not when Tim was blocking the way out…

Thom continued on, but had hardly taken a couple of steps further when his head started to hurt, not from a headache, but, as he was quick to realise, from an emergency call. He saw a flash of forest before him, feeling a rush of confusion and agony, and he knew exactly where to go. He ran ahead, hoping desperately that, as he neared his target, Mark hadn’t wandered off and was still where the call had come from –

“Mark –”

Thom ran the final distance as a shaking, red-eyed Mark turned around and flung at him, clasping him around the waist as he dug his head into his leader’s chest. Thom hugged him back as his headache disappeared, and relief took over.

"Sagittarius -" Mark paused as he pulled back and looked up at Thom. "She lured me away..."

"What did she do to you?" said Thom. He was gripping Marks shoulders, his fingers digging into any fleshier parts. His wounds, however, did not go unnoticed and Mark grabbed his wrists, easing him off his shoulders and holding them in front.

"What happened to your arms?"

Thom wriggled out of his grasp. "I'll tell you later. Mark, what did she do to you?"

"She tried to make me think I had been raped." His voice was so calm that, for some reason, it scared Thom.

"...You don't have to pretend it wasn't real if she really had..."

"Trust me ... I _know_ it was fake."

Thom stared at him, and then nodded. “I trust you.”

Pause. "What happened to your arms?"

"I found Tim, he was in agony that you had gone. He couldn't even recognise me, he thought I had taken you."

Mark leapt to his feet, alarmed. "Shit - I have to go back -"

"Wait." Thom also got up and together, they started to walk back. "How are you going to tell Tim about ...?"

"I'm going to tell him everything. I can manage like last time."

"I'm not worried about that ... what are you doing out here?"

"What do you mean?"

"You don't have anywhere to stay?"

"No. Me and Tim have managed on the forest floor for years. I sleep under his wing."

"...That's awful..."

“It isn't that bad. Tim's like a campfire. His stomach’s very warm, and his wings keep the heat in.”

“I know, but … do you want to come to the safe house for a bit?”

“You know we can’t go there.”

“Oh come on, I’m sure they won’t mind. You’ve been in the old one before.”

“I know, but I had been …” Mark stopped the sentence, and instead looked down at his feet. “…Thom, you don’t need to help us.”

“Mark, I’m not –”

Mark held out his arm so fast Thom walked into it anyway, and as he stumbled back, he noticed that Mark’s palm was glowing. From a distance, they could hear Tim’s roars. “I’ll be fine from here.”

“At least let me –”

“I have … things I want to say to Tim.” Then, in a softer tone, he added, “Thanks Thom.”

Thom stared at Mark for a little longer, trying to keep up eye contact, but he couldn’t do it, and with a final clasp on his shoulder, Thom turned around and started to leave for Milton’s place, albeit now with an empty feeling inside him.

***

For once, Milton had skipped sleep and had continued to work throughout the night, ignoring whether Humphrey heard him or not. He had been eyeing his room though, ready to burst in to take any calls – and throughout, he had tried to concentrate on various tasks, in a failing attempt to distract himself.

When the doorbell rang a few minutes past eleven, both Milton and Humphrey had been expecting it to be Matthew, albeit later than usual, but when Humphrey went to answer it, he was brushed aside by Thom. Milton could tell something was wrong; he was looking worried, yes, but he also seemed to be hinting at something, and Milton was struggling to pick up on what. Well, that and the fact that Thom hadn’t tried to hug or kiss him yet.

“Tuck?” he said.

“Sagittarius’ been seen. She’s using the same tricks she used on your member –”

“What happened to your arms?”

Thom swung them backwards out of Milton’s grasp, and then started to retreat. “Nothing – it doesn’t matter –”

“Thom…”

“Really, sweetheart, it doesn’t –”

Milton clicked his fingers, and the resultant breeze shoved Thom forwards, and allowing the other leader to grab his wrists as a way of breaking his fall. Thom yelped as he collapsed to his knees, pain shooting through his arms; Milton let them slip through his hands, and he too kneeled down.

“Thom, who did that to you?”

“I told you, it’s nothing.”

Pause. “If it’s Valet Sagittarius –”

“Of course it wasn’t … look, you know how much of a temper my dragon member can throw if he’s separated from his monkey.”

Milton started to stand up, and he helped Thom up with him. “I can bandage them for you. You can’t leave the wounds open.”

“I’m going home anyway, you don’t –”

“Thom … I’ve already got Clan troubles, I want to help them but I can’t. If I could just … please?” He stared at Thom, and the latter made eye contact with him, as if to try and throw him off his intentions; however, he soon nodded, and started rolling back his sleeves, wincing at every wound he brushed.

“Alright,” he said at last.

“Do you want to go to my room? It’s brighter in there.”

“Thanks sweetheart.”

As Milton crossed the place for the first aid kit, he shot occasional glances at Humphrey, though he remained silent until he was certain Thom was in his room.

“You don’t have to keep looking at me,” said Milton.

“You’re being … unusually nice to him,” said Humphrey. Milton stopped and stared at him, keeping it up for so long Humphrey gave in and backed down first.

“Don’t … I just want to be able to do something for a change.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Clarkey?” Tom stepped out onto the porch, where Ben was sat with his legs dangling over the edge, his wings wrapped around his shoulders and torso. A couple of feathers were scattered around the place, although, as Tom sat next to him, he noticed how much thinner his wings _did_ seem to be.

Ben didn’t say anything back, but flicked his right wing off his own shoulder, and moved closer to Tom until he could put his wing around him as well. He continued to keep silent, and just rested his head on Tom’s shoulder, one arm squeezing his waist. In response, Tom slipped an arm across his shoulders, and he gripped his shoulder, albeit with the same amount of strength he had used several nights ago.

“Tom … did you have no idea about Sagittarius’ powers?”

“No. I told you … she just ambushed me. That was it.”

“I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“…I know. I…”

Ben looked up, wondering why Tom was keeping quiet, when he noticed he had an odd, uncomfortable look on his face. He lifted his head away, and tried to sit up, except Tom was still gripping his shoulder –

He yelped as Tom kicked him in the shin and pushed him away at the same time; he slipped off the edge and tumbled face-first downwards, until his wings opened and saved his landing, even though he could feel a pulled muscle in his left one. Nonetheless, he landed on the ground on his knees, and as he tended to his left wing (or rather, tried to – just tugging it closer to him hurt), he saw Tom land next to him and then run off to Matthew’s.

“Tom –” Ben staggered up and tried to follow, except his wing was hurting still, and as he tried to take another look at it, he yanked out several feathers by mistake. He discarded them over his shoulder, and then started to hobble after him. There was something about Tom that didn’t seem right, and until he could catch up with him, he could only hope that he wasn’t about to do something to Matthew…

While Ben was making his way over, Tom was already making his way up to Matthew’s, unaware that the latter had seen him coming over through the window, and was going to open the door for him. Matthew hadn’t sensed anything wrong with him then, but when he realised he was climbing up to meet him, rather than trying to pole vault his way in or perform some similarly bizarre entrance trick, he grew cautious as he opened the door, and waited for Tom to finish his ascent first.

"...Tom?"

Before he knew what was happening, Tom had shoved him backwards, and he stumbled, thinking he was about to be attacked; his palms were glowing, although he was unsure what he was going to do to defend himself. Tom walked over, gaining on Matthew, who was retreating with every step, stopping only when he bumped into the wall -

"...Tom..." The other man wasn't responding, but kept walking. Matthew couldn't see his palms, they were facing behind his back; Matthew was hoping somewhat desperately that they weren't glowing, that this was just some terrible misunderstanding -

It was one. A very, _very_ terrible one, and Matthew only realised it when Tom stopped so close to him, a nudge forward and they would have kissed-

Except it wasn't a light-hearted, on-the-cheek sort. It was a proper, full on tug at the hair, arm supporting the back type, not helped by the fact that Matthew's mouth had already been hanging open in panic, making it too easy for Tom to kiss him properly, treating him like he was Ben -

Matthew wasn’t strong enough to push Tom away; he seemed to absorb every punch he made to his chest, and he was reluctant to use his powers for various reasons, not in the least because he would be wrecking his own house if he did, but he could tell there was something wrong with Tom. If anything, he was not so much as worried that Tom was kissing him, but rather what would happen if he tried to get any more intimate than that; he would probably have no choice, his physical moves weren’t working at all –

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ben running in, a trail of feathers floating behind him, his palms glowing, an equally startled look on his face; despite that, he kept running and pounced onto Tom, locking his hands on his shoulders and, drawing somewhat heavily on his powers, yanked him off Matthew and flung him nearer to the door, making sure to expose his palms in his direction.

They were expecting Tom to retaliate, especially when he found his balance again – but then he reeled back, one hand clutching his head, the other clasping his Item so hard he seemed to be on the verge of breaking it.

“Get out of my fucking head – YOU BITCH –”

“Tom – wait –” Matthew took a step forward, but by then Tom had ran out of the place and descended to the ground in a jump, his fall broken by a roll. He leapt to his feet and continued running ahead, occasionally glimpsing an arrow sticking out of the ground, acting like markers for him, albeit ones that only fuelled his rage.

He could hear Ben and Matthew yelling for him, but he didn’t care, not when he was getting closer to Sagittarius – she couldn’t be that far ahead of him, as far as he could tell, the earth was still fresh from being dug up by the arrow tips – she might have caught him out last time, but this time, he knew how to face her –

He didn’t know where the arrows were leading him, or how long it had been since he was no longer within earshot of Ben and Matthew, but it didn’t matter he couldn’t recognise where he had gone – he just had to keep following the arrows – 

He swung to the side in time as, out from up ahead, an arrow flew past him at chest-height; a scream followed, and Sagittarius sidestepped into view, dragging Mark with her. She had her arm around his neck, and an arrow pointing at the side of his throat; for a moment, he made eye contact with Tom, as if pleading him to rescue him.

“Let him go,” said Tom, his voice shaking from his attempt to control his anger, though that was only worsened when Sagittarius smiled at him.

“Tell me, Parry, what was it like kissing Crosby? I bet he must have been _very_ different from Clark.”

“Don’t you dare –”

“I wish I could have seen it, but I had some work to do. Tell me, how did you like the trail I left for you?”

“Let Mark go, it’s me you want –”

“Oh _pleeeeeease_ , don’t tell me you thought I would be that _boring_? You don’t have anything special to make me focus on only you –”

Mark grabbed her arrow-holding arm and pulled it down, before he plunged the tip into an apple which, it seemed, he had been busy forming during their conversation. Startled, Sagittarius kicked Mark in the back, pushing him away as she reeled back, trying to dislodge the apple – but instead threw it over her shoulder and pulled her bow out in time to block Tom’s attack. Tom was now holding onto a staff about the same length and thickness as his iron-tipped one, but the roughly formed nature meant that there were splinters all down the surface.

Tom tried to kick Sagittarius over, but she dodged and swung her foot in a circular motion, catching Tom’s leg and tripping him over instead; he got up again, but by then he had given Sagittarius enough time to load and fire her bow. The arrow would have hit his shoulder if he hadn’t dodged, and as he did so, he eyed a pale-faced Mark, who was lingering behind as if too afraid to attack, despite his palms glowing.

Tom turned back to Sagittarius as he dodged another arrow; he knew he couldn’t keep this up, a glimpse at her quiver indicated that even if her opponents kept dodging her moves, she had enough to keep striking them until they were too worn out to react as quickly. He took another glance at Mark and, seeing as he wasn’t going to be moving ahead any time soon, leapt ahead, and attempted to transform mid-way, except that nauseous feeling was stopping him – 

Sagittarius, taking advantage of this, turned the strung bow on him, holding him at arrow point. She took a step forward as Tom retreated by one, and she continued to pursue him at walking pace for several steps longer, the grin on her face widening as her eyes narrowed –

Until she lost her balance as she tripped over a lone tree root; in the time it took for her to recover, Mark started to rush to Tom’s side as ivy sprouted from the ground and wound itself around her bow. Sagittarius unstrung her weapon and sliced through the plant with the tip of the arrow, before swinging her bow upwards to block another blow from Tom. She kicked Mark to the side again, and tried to do the same to Tom, except with his other hand, he caught her foot and tripped her over again; she pushed his staff off and flung her hands behind her, breaking her fall, before she kicked with her other foot, catching Tom in the chin and forcing him to let go. She completed her backwards cartwheel, landing upright on her legs, and strung her bow again, this time pointing at Mark instead.

Tom halted, and Mark froze, though the two of them made eye contact again, albeit briefly before Tom grabbed his hand, making sure their palms were clasped together. Sagittarius continued to draw back the string, and Tom started to twirl his staff round until it formed into one large, round wooden shield – and with his new defence, he ran ahead first, dragging Mark behind him – 

The shield was wide enough to take every arrow that Sagittarius subsequently fired, and when she realised it was too big, she retreated, though not fast enough to avoid the rim of the shield smacking into her arm. She retaliated by kicking one of the lodged arrows; the force dug it straight through the wood, the tip grazing the side of Tom’s calves as a crack appeared from the bottom.

Tom flung the shield aside as Mark let go of him, and Sagittarius strung her bow again, the tip being raised upwards from the ground –

Tom screamed and stumbled backwards as a sharp pain shot through his leg, before his injury forced him to sit down. He couldn’t keep his eyes open, and he tried to clutch his wound, but he could feel something in between his fingers – it must have been the arrow – this was Sagittarius’ doing –

He couldn’t tell or hear what was happening, or where Sagittarius was; instead, he could feel Mark kneeling next to him, his shaking hands clutching the arrow shaft.

“Hurry … up…” said Tom in between his gasps and winces.

“Do you need something to bite on?”

“No … just get the … _fucking_ … arrow … out.”

Mark paused for a while longer, and then yanked it out; a second jolt of sharp pain happened, followed by a flow of blood staining his palms and seeping through the cracks of his fingers. Tom could feel his lungs constricting, and his gasps for air were louder and longer as he started to feel light headed, close to passing out – Mark clasped his free hand and pinned it to the ground, their palms pressed against each other, Mark’s pink and white fingertips leaving red streaks from where he was digging his nails into the back of Tom’s hand. With a slight shake, the worst of the pain was gone, but it still left Tom tired and disoriented.

Not that it seemed to worry Mark; both his shaking and breathing grew steadier as he caught Tom from slumping backwards, and he lowered him first before tending to his wound again. He took off his waistcoat and shirt, which he then ripped into half; with one side, he used it as a rag, dabbing away most of the blood first before he placed his palm over where the wound was and startled to drizzle honey over it.

He was careful to keep an eye on Tom’s reaction, but the latter was too close to passing out to really indicate anything, and when Mark was done covering the wound, he grabbed the other half of the shirt, and bandaged it around Tom’s leg. Despite the somewhat rudimentary element of the bandaging, it would have to do for now as Mark knotted the material even tighter than usual, not in the least because he had to ensure the honey worked if Tom was to survive the worst of the injury with hardly any side effects…

When Mark looked at Tom, the latter had already passed out, but he barely had any time to start wondering about Sagittarius when he felt a kick to the back of his head; he collapsed onto the ground, and for a brief moment felt her angered presence standing over him, before he too passed out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the long hiatus! Stuff happens, etc., but I'll try to update on a regular basis again.

“…Clarkey…?”

“…Tim…?”

“AAAAAAAAAAAH–”

Tom and Mark leapt out of each other’s grasp, although the former winced as pain shot through his leg again, albeit not as intense as before. He resorted to crawling out of Mark’s way, dragging his good leg on the ground while the bad one rested on top; he didn’t get far when Mark ran over and forced him to stop.

“Wait – your leg –”

Mark nudged him over onto his side, and he started to untie the knot; as he did so, Tom propped himself up on his elbow, and watched as the bandaging came off completely. Underneath the bloodied tear in his jeans, his wound had been reduced to a cut, albeit with a soft layer of scab on top. Not that it seemed to concern Mark too much; if anything, he was just relieved that the wound was healing.

“How bad does it hurt now?”

“It’s … manageable.” Pause. “Did she shoot me last night?”

Mark looked down at his lap. “Yeah … I saw her do it.”

“Are you OK?”

“She didn’t get me.” He lifted up the bandage and shook it slightly; small trails of honey residue started to dangle from the edge. He glanced over his shoulder, and eyed the other half of his shirt, startling himself in the process; until then, he hadn’t realised how much blood it had soaked up. “Can you manage without anything on your leg?”

“I think I can. Is that your shirt…?”

“It used to be. I smeared honey over your injury, and bandaged this around it.” Tom tried to move, but he winced from just moving his bad leg a little to the left. “Careful – it’s not fully healed yet –”

“I need to get back to Clarkey –”

“Don’t move –” said Mark with a firmness that belied any weakness his voice had previously held. “If you start bleeding again, there’s not much more I can do to help you.”

His harshness worked; Tom didn’t dare move any further, and a silence descended. Mark’s eyes were on his injury only, and Tom figured it was out of concern for him.

“Give me your hand,” said Mark. He didn’t wait for a reaction, and reached for his hand anyway; he flipped it over, before he pushed his palm on top of his, and a hazel-coloured glow emitted. At first, nothing seemed to happen, but then Tom’s arm nearly gave way as a jolt of pain shot through him; at the same time, Mark screamed and lost his balance as he jumped back. He tried to sit up, but resorted to propping on one elbow while coughing and spluttering, the other hand patting his face as he realised, for the first time, that his glasses were gone.

“ _Fuck_ …” Tom was looking down, having realised that he too no longer had his Item on him. Even though Valets could use their powers without their Items on hand, they had to know _where_ it was to be able to use them safely. “Where the fuck…? She must have taken them.”

“What would she do with them?”

“How am I – argh –” Tom had tried to sit up, but his leg was stinging again, forcing him to remain where he was.

“Careful–” Even though he was still reeling, Mark managed to stagger over to Tom. When he realised nothing was bleeding again, he shakily stood up, and glanced around, trying to find some kind of landmark, except they were surrounded by just trees and grass.

“Can you see anything?”

“I sort of can – I mean, I’m not _that_ short sighted.” Pause. “How the hell did we end up here?”

“Do you think Milton and Thom can still find us?”

“They should be able to. We might not have our Items with us, but I don’t think it stops us from sending emergency calls.”

“It doesn’t,” said Milton as he landed in front of them. He was carrying a first aid kit, and as he kneeled down next to Tom, he continued. “Tuck’s on his way now, he’s just dealing with Tim first.”

“– Fuck – did Thom say where he was?” said Mark. He seemed ready to collapse again, and Milton had his palms glowing, ready to catch him if necessary.

“He didn’t say, that’s all he told me.”

“Thanks Milton – I think I know where –” Mark was already running out of sight, and he left his words trailing off as he disappeared altogether. Tom watched him go, but Milton had long turned his attention back to his member’s injury, and was in the process of dabbing around the scab first.

“Milton,” said Tom after a while. “How did you find me?”

“Emergency call. I know, you don’t have your Item with you, but that didn’t stop you from sending one to me.”

“…That means you have to know where –”

“I don’t. I just get a call and your location, that’s it. I can’t sense how near or far your Item is to you.”

“Can’t you find it? You – argh –”

Milton had tried to lift Tom’s bad leg off his good one, but he stopped when he realised it was only hurting him more. He shuffled back, and with a click of his fingers, a gust rolled Tom over onto his back, and cushioned his fall.

“Sorry,” said Milton. “I didn’t realise it would hurt that much.”

“It’s … fine …” Even though the transition had been smooth, Tom still needed time to catch his breath back, and during the silence that followed, Milton bandaged his wound, having found no side effects with it.

“Did you get anything from me last night?” said Tom.

Milton looked down at the kit instead as he answered. “No. What happened?” He shut the lid and listened to Tom; he spent most of his time nodding, and he had barely finished when he said, “It must have been Mark.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mark helped heal your wound for now. If you had been alone, you probably would have sent a call earlier.”

“…So … you didn’t get anything from me until now?”

“No.”

“Where have our Items gone…?”

“Before you start panicking too much, even if Valet Sagittarius _has_ taken it, I doubt she can do much with it.”

“…Milton, she’s got them.”

“I know, but nothing’s happened so far, has it?”

“Milton–”

“I better get you back to Ben and Matthew. Come on, I can give you a lift.” Milton still wasn’t looking at Tom as he continued to tidy up.

“How am I going to tell them I haven’t got my Item?”

For once, Milton stopped and turned to look at him. “How much of last night are you going to tell them?”

“I can’t think of anything else to cover up why I’ve got this wound.”

“If I tell them I’ve got your Item for safekeeping … we should be able to get away with it.”

“What if I need to use my powers?”

“Tell them it hurts your injury.” He paused, and then added, “Tom, are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes. I know what I’m doing, Milton.” Tom crawled away from Milton and clenched a glowing fist.

“Tom–” Milton couldn’t say much else, let alone begin to realise was happening, when Tom yelped, and then descended into gasping and heavy breathing, albeit now slouching on a pair of wooden crutches. “Tom–”

“I’ll … be alright.” The crutches dug a little into the ground as Tom staggered to his feet.

“I can carry you –”

“I don’t need you anymore.”

Milton looked down, trying to work out what to do. He could have told Tom he had spent most of last night in a tree house, with rooster feathers dusting his back, and he had suffered headaches, but he was too intrigued to see what Tom was planning to do, and rather than make some kind of rebuttal, Milton just stood up.

“How are you going to get back?” said Milton.

“I know where I am.” Now it was Tom’s turn to avoid looking at him.

“Are you sure? I can find a route for you now –”

“I mean it, Milton. What do you think I do when I’ve got time?”

“OK … if you need me, get Ben or Matthew to send the message through to me.” He waited to see if Tom was going to answer, but when the silence between them dragged on for too long, he knew, and he started to fly back to the flat.

He could have been dishonest and gone back to check on Tom, but he went ahead to the flat anyway. He was wondering if Thom had come round, but when he got back, the place was empty. Humphrey had mentioned he was meeting a friend for most of the day, and there was no sign of Thom’s calling card, or any stamped-on paw prints. He was probably still dealing with Tim and Mark.

As Milton resumed his duties, he was expecting a call any time soon, whether it was from Thom or Matthew or Ben. An hour passed with no news, and just when he thought that everything _was_ fine, the doorbell rang twice, followed by rapid knocking. He frowned as he propped the mop against the wall; he thought someone would have sent a message ahead sooner, rather than turn up like that.

“Milton–” The door had barely opened when Thom pushed his way in, breathless and clutching his shoulder. With his free hand, he was holding onto Mark’s glasses.

“Thom, what’s happened?” Milton slammed the door shut and ran over to Thom, albeit as he started to develop a heavy headache, and for a moment, he stumbled on the spot, trying to shake it off. “What happened to your shoulder?”


End file.
